Wireless communication has evolved rapidly in the past decades as the demand for higher data rates and better quality of service has been continually required by a growing number of end users. Next-generation systems are expected to operate at higher frequencies (e.g., millimeter-wavelength or “mmW”) such as 5-20 GHz. Such systems are also expected to utilize a variety of multi-antenna technology (e.g., antenna arrays) at the transmitter, the receiver, or both. In the field of wireless communications, multi-antenna technology can comprise a plurality of antennas in combination with advanced signal processing techniques (e.g., beamforming). Multi-antenna technology can be used to improve various aspects of a communication system, including system capacity (e.g., more users per unit bandwidth per unit area), coverage (e.g., larger area for given bandwidth and number of users), and increased per-user data rate (e.g., in a given bandwidth and area). Directive antennas can also ensure better wireless links as a mobile or fixed devices experiences a time varying channel.
In order to achieve many of these exemplary performance improvements, however, multi-antenna systems generally require an accurate and timely knowledge of the channel(s) between each of the transmit antennas and each of the receive antennas. The complexity and system overhead required to provide and obtain this channel information increases in proportion to both the operating frequency of the system and the number of antennas in the transmitting and/or receiving antenna arrays.
Thus, it can be beneficial to address at least some of the issues and problems identified herein above.